Chicken Leg Quarters

[Deleted]

Hi everyone,

This week one of the local supermarkets have chicken leg quarters in 10 pound bags for $2.50. So I bought a 4 bags today figuring the worst that could happen is they end up as dog food.

So I tonight I cut up a bag into legs and thighs, tossed them in extra virgin olive oil, salt, and fresh ground pepper. Baked at 400 for 45 minutes. And they came out excellent. The only thing I would do different the next time is to put the legs on one tray and the thighs on another so I can bake the thighs 5-10 minutes longer.

So now I have plans, and freezer space, to do more of the leg quarters., but I don’t think I can process so much a day.

I plan on using many of the methods www.cheapcooking.com/chicken-leg-quarters.htm on this site

My question is, can I take the 10 pound bags and freeze them for later processing? And will I need to cook any of the chicken I defrost? Or can I still refreeze these in a marinate?

Also, any recipe suggestion greatly appreciated.

Duke of Indiana

[Kathy]

Duke I buy those 10# bags too-but the cheapest I've found was $3.50 so you got a good deal! ;D

I've frozen the whole 10# just as it came from the store.
Sometimes if I'm feeling especially energetic I'll separate the drumsticks and thighs and freeze separtely.
I make Buffalo drumsticks instead of drummies. More meat, less bone.

I am going to check out the site you posted but I've always heard it's best to not freeze in marinades that contain a lot of herbs or acidic ingredients because it changes both the taste & texture.
But I'll look at the site-maybe the marinades listed will give a clue about freezing them in marinade.

I dont' understand about the cooking once they defrost but I think that will be explained once I read the link.

I use the legs quarters in soups, stews and also baked and deboned/deskinned for chicken salad. When I bake them I leave the skin on until afterwards-it helps hold the moisture in but that's just my personal preference.

I'll post some recipes in a bit but first I want to check out that link.

[Kathy]

I think I understand the cooking question now. Were the chicken legs partially frozen when you bought them?

I have taken the bags that are partially frozen and separated the pieces and froze them with no problem.

I am still wondering about that marinating while frozen.
I guess if it was me, I'd try one bag with just a few legs. Freeze it for maybe 5-6 days. thaw & cook them up to see how it tastes and what the texture is like. Then you'll know if they're acceptable to your tastes.

I did find a site with some nice info and a bunch of homemade marinade recipes.

www.cooks.com/rec/story/166/#B

[Deleted]

Hi Kathy,

It's just that i have heard that once meat is frozen then defrosted, that it's not a good idea to refreeze. But I would think that these legs quarters have been frozen at least once.

Also, our regular price for a bag of leg quarters went up recently from $3.50 to $4.50. But they were always really small with little meat. Here recently I have also gotten bone in split chicken breast for $0.88, 50 pounds of which is now in my freezer, and boneless-skinless chicken breast fro $1.38, 25 pounds of which is keeping the split breast company in my freezer.

Fortunately, I just defrosted and cleaned out my freezer. And I still have some room left for these leg quarters.

Well, I cannot think of a better use right now for twenty dollars than 80 pounds of leg quarters. After all, grilling season is just around the corner.

[Kathy]

Well, it looks like I was misinformed about freezing in marinade. For 50+ yrs I've been missing out on a great way to have chicken ready for the grill!

Here's a few recipes that use the pre marinade method.

Wine and Herb Chicken Marinade

Ingredients for Preparation Day:

2/3 cup white wine
1 tsp. tarragon
1/4 tsp. rosemary
1/4 tsp. thyme
2 Tbsp. vegetable oil
1 Tbsp. minced garlic
Chicken (this will marinade 2 1/2 - 3 lbs.)

Directions for Prep Day:
Combine all ingredients.
Put chicken pieces in a freezer bag.
Pour Marinade over the pieces. Put in freezer.

Directions for Cooking Day:
Completely thaw chicken and marinade.
Cook on grill or in oven.


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Lemon Parsley Marinade

Ingredients for Prepartion Day:

1/4 c. chopped fresh parsley
1/2 c. chicken broth
1/2 c. lemon juice
4 lemon slices, halved
1/4 tsp. pepper
3 Tbsp. vegetable oil
Chicken (this will marinade up to 2 1/2 - 3 lbs.)

Directions for Cooking Day:
Place chicken pieces in freezer bag.
Combine all marinade ingredients and pour over chicken.
Freeze.

Directions for Cooking Day:
Completely thaw chicken and marinade.
Cook on grill or in oven.


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Teriyaki Chicken -
There are 2 ways you can make this very easy dish. The first is to buy a pre-made Teriyaki sauce to marinade the raw chicken in.
The second method is to make your own Teriyaki Sauce.

Ingredients for Preparation Day:

Chicken - you can use any chicken parts that you like for this recipe: breast, legs, thighs, wings or a mixture!
1/4 cup water
1 small piece of fresh ginger, crushed (or prepared ginger)
1 tsp. garlic salt
1 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup white wine

Directions for Prep Day:
Put raw chicken in a freezer bag.
Combine rest of ingredients and pour over chicken. Freeze.

Directions for Cooking Day:
Defrost chicken mixture.
Cook this any way that works best for you.
Sometimes during the summer you can grill the chicken and other times you may want to cook it in the oven. It usually takes about 30 minutes at 425.
Cook until chicken is completely cooked through.

[Deleted]

Hey Kathy,

I think I am going to skip the merinade and just freeze them. Though I am also going to go ahead and bake some then freeze them for quick meals. Also plan to cook some and de-bone. Now I'm getting hungrey.

Duke of Indiana

[Kathy]

Duke, I did something similar a few weeks ago when our local store had boneless pork loins for $1.38/# and spiral cut hams for $1.09/#(day after Easter )
At the Holidays I picked up 5 huge turkeys for 22cents/# -you just can't beat those prices.

My freezer is packed along with the freezer above the fridge. ;D It's nice to know you have a good supply on hand.

[Deleted]

Now ya tell me. Those so good I will have to try them.

Duke

[Deleted]

I have to agree. Really hard times could come along any time. I just feel better having a freezer full.

Boy I hope we see pork that low. I keep hearing the price of chicken is pulling down beef and pork prices, but we have not seen that here yet.

But I did get 1# rolls of Emge sausage for $1 recently.

Duke

[Kathy]

Are you close to Ft. Wayne?? I lived in Ft.Wayne for a year before moving to California.

Nice people and I loved going to the Grabill area!

This was a long time ago-late 70's but I have some really nice memories of the Ft. Wayne zoo and the surrounding countryside.

[Deleted]

Hi Kathy,

We're not to far from Ft. Wayne. About 50 miles to the southwest. I have some relatives in Ft. Wayne and use to go up there a lot when I was a kid.

Cannot help but tell a funny story. Back in about 1975 one of my uncles, who lived in Ft. Wayne, passed on. Well, the day of his funeral was the same day as the Three Rivers Festival Parade, and the funeral director didn’t plan ahead. And the parade was in between the funeral home and the cemetery. So as we approach the parade for some reason the rent-a-cops directed the funeral procession into the parade. Boy did folk along the street have strange looks on their faces as we passed by.

My mom, her sister (the widow), and all the adult relatives were really mad , but all of the teenage cousins, including me, thought that Uncle Earl would really have enjoyed going out that way. He was a pretty cool guy, and here I am remembering his funeral over 30 years later. He would have liked that.

Duke

[Kathy]

Well he certainly got a colorful send off! He sounds like it would have been something that would make him smile at the irony. ;D

I'm sure the area has changed a lot in the last 30 yrs but the town had a small town feel even though it was a city. I liked it and if it hadn't been for a job transfer-we may have been neighbors. ;D

[Deleted]

Hi Everyone,

Can vinegar be used as a substitute for the white wine in the marinate recipes. I also have some red wine vinegar I might use.

Duke of Indiana

[Deleted]

I want to re-visit this thread. I LOVE LOVE LOVE dark meat chicken. We ate rabbit growing up, maybe that's why I'm so fascinated by dark meat (you want what you don't have). I like to use 'poultry magic' by the magic chef. Yummy!

But I have to know, how long do you cook the buffalo drum sticks? I would love a recipe or even some kinda-sorta directions.

I don't like to cook chicken with the skin on (it holds the pesticides and arsnic and stuff) so learning to make 'wings' out of skinless legs would be perfect for us. I typically cook the quarters whole and just cook them to death, I like it a little stringy, I know I'm a weirdo. The only chicken I can manage to get juicy and not raw is the boneless breast. I also don't fry. Not anti-fat just anti-fire...

And to think, with all those handicaps I still manage to keep a 'Chubby Hubby'

[Kathy]

For Buffalo Drumsticks; I just put the drumsticks on foil lined trays/cookie sheets that I've oiled or if you use it ;some Cooking spray works well.

I season them with a little salt and more pepper-mainly because the Wing Sauce has plenty of salt & I don't like salty foods.

I cover the trays for the first 40-45 mins so the legs stay moist and cook evenly. I bake mine at 350 degrees.

I take the foil off for the last 10-15 mins after I drain off the excess juices(you can save for soup) just so the legs aren't so wet.

So a cookie sheet full of drumsticks ends up being baked for about an hour.

Once they're done, just put them in a big bowl with a little melted butter(2-3Tblsp) if you like but even without the butter it's ok.

Pour over the drumsticks your favorite boughten wing sauce. I like the hotter one by the Louisiana Hot Sauce company.

Let them set in the sauce for about 3-4 min, roll them around so they all get coated evenly and then take out and arrange on a platter with celery sticks and blue cheese dressing.

[Deleted]

THANK YOU!

Perfect. Baked instead of fried, skinless and big enough to be worth eating!

[Deleted]

Quote:
I don't like to cook chicken with the skin on (it holds the pesticides and arsnic and stuff)


Try to find soeone locally to get fresh chicken from. It will cost you more, but you can't beat the taste. They won't have all the crap the big factories put in their chickens. I raise chickens every year & sell some. I sell enough that I am basically getting mine for free. I just did 51 of them a couple of weeks ago. They are so good! I would hate to go back to store bought chicken.

[Deleted]

I live in a wealthy Dallas suburb. It's ILLEGAL to have chickens here (no joke). BUT, I found out that my farmers market uses Buddys All Natural Chicken and they don't use arsenic. I wondered why the chicken was so good! Really has a different taste to me.